Harvard was a perfect 21-of-21 at the line en route to its
fifth-straight road win.

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Harvard women's
basketball team rode a record-setting performance at the free-throw
line to a 68-56 win at Columbia Saturday night, the team's fifth
straight on the road.

The Crimson (11-8, 4-1 Ivy League) was a perfect 21-of-21 from
the charity stripe, tying the program record for free-throw
percentage in a single game and marking the first time the team has
been perfect on more than 15 attempts. Christine Clark,
meanwhile, matched Reka Cserny '05 for the best individual
performance at the line with a 12-of-12 showing.

Clark finished her night with 21 points, becoming the first
Crimson to score 20-plus in consecutive games since Victoria Lippert
did so in four straight games in February of 2010.

Lippert added 19 points to the scoring effort while Elle Hagedorn
chipped in 11 off the bench. Harvard combined to shoot just 37.7
percent for the game but was aided by seven three-pointers and its
21 points from the line. Columbia (2-17, 0-5 Ivy League) was led by
Courtney Bradford's 17 points and Tyler Simpson's 15.

Harvard jumped out to a 5-0 lead and was on top 12-9 following
Lippert's second three of the evening, but Columbia bounced back
with three straight baskets to take a 15-12 advantage. Tyler
Simpson hit 1-of-2 at the line to move the score to 16-12 before
Lippert ended the Crimson's drought with a nice cut to the bucket.
Clark's 15-footer tied the score at 16 and a layup by Emma Golen evened the
game at 18 with 8:15 to play.

Hagedorn put Harvard back in front with a three-pointer and
following a pair of Miriam Rutzen free
throws, the Crimson led 23-18. Columbia rallied once again and
retied the score at 23 on a Courtney Bradford drive, but the
momentum swung back in Harvard's favor as the Crimson closed the
half on a 9-0 run. Clark sparked the run with a three of her own,
and Golen made back-to-back layups for a seven-point edge. Clark
added a pair of free throws with 3 seconds remaining, giving
Harvard a 32-23 advantage at the half.

Clark netted 11 points in the frame while going 6-of-6 at the
free-throw line, and Lippert added 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting.
The Crimson shot just 33.3 percent in the half but was a perfect
10-of-10 at the line and hit four three-pointers while holding the
Lions to 37.0 percent shooting.

Columbia opened the second half on a 14-5 run and knotted the
game up at 37 on a deep three by Melissa Shafer. Taylor Ward began
the run with a three-pointer on the Lions first possession, and
Bradford's three-point play cut the Lions' deficit to 35-34. Clark
scored a layup to make it a three-point game in Harvard's favor but
Shafer hit her three on the ensuing possession to even the
score.

Hagedorn followed a pair of Lippert free throws with her second
trey to put the Crimson back on top by five, 42-37, and added an
and-one for a 47-41 advantage with 10:36 remaining. Four straight
free throws from Clark moved the score to 53-41 and Lippert added a
basket in the paint to make it an 18-4 run and give Harvard a
14-point advantage, 55-41.

Harvard's lead did not dip below 10 points for the remainder of
the game as the Crimson hung on for the 68-56 victory.

Harvard will return home next weekend to host Penn and
Princeton. The Crimson will first face the Quakers Friday, Feb. 10
at 7 p.m. before welcoming the Tigers into Lavietes Pavilion
Saturday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m.

Game Notes: Harvard went 21-of-21 at the line,
tying the program record for free-throw percentage in a game and
marking the first time the Crimson have been perfect on more than
15 attempts in a game … Christine Clark went 12-of-12 at the
free-throw line, tying Reka Cserny '05 for the best single-game
performance in program history … Christine Clark has scored
20-plus points in back-to-back games, becoming the first Crimson to
do so since Victoria Lippert scored 20-plus in four straight in
February of 2010 … The win is Harvard's fifth straight on
the road, marking the team's longest road win streak since February
of 2010 … Harvard has recorded 299 wins in Ivy League play,
and will soon become just the second program in Ancient Eight
history to reach 300.